We are solicitous of sympathy (2)

I don't know why I remembered the Al-Zahraa and Al-Anwar amusement parks when I read the newspaper news about "Winterland" in Al-Shaab Park. In the 1960s and during the holidays, temporary amusement parks and games for children were held in Jabriya area on the Fourth Ring Road. In those days, Jabriya area, as we say in our colloquial dialect, was "vacant land," in which there were some poultry farms, and in the middle of it was the old palace of the late sheikh, Jaber Al-Ali, may Allah have mercy on him, and some plots of land surrounded by walls here and there. These seasonal amusement parks came, as I think, from Egypt, and the most important and largest of them were at Al-Zahraa and Al-Anwar amusement parks, in addition to other amusement parks. It was, as we say colloquially, "simple," but we were waiting for it from one Eid to another.

I remember that in 1967, on our way to Lebanon, we stopped in Baghdad for two days, and there my uncle—may God have mercy on him—said that we would go to an amusement park. When we reached it, all I thought was that it was something similar to Al-Zahraa amusement park, but my amazement was great, as they called it the "city of games" and it had gardens, fountains, modern games, and was full of shapes and colors that we had not seen before. This is in addition to restaurants and cafes, and the most important thing is that they have their wonderful "ice cream." I remember very well that I asked my uncle, "Why do we not have such amusement parks in Kuwait?" At that time, he answered me, "Allah is the most generous." (This means that we hope Allah will assist us in obtaining it.) I did not expect that, after five decades, we would return to the simple amusement park Al-Zahraa under the name "Winterland," which extends for two weeks, and then they would come back to their country. Nevertheless, those in charge are thankful for their efforts, and God willing, it will be the beginning, not the end. However, we must assess how far the people have progressed from their predicament to the point where they are satisfied with their accomplishment, "Al-Zahra's Amusement Park," sorry, I mean "Winterland." Really, we are solicitous of sympathy.

But I have a question, will music be allowed during Winterland? Or will all games be played in silence? in the sense that you should be satisfied and happy with it, but without sound. And another question: some of the representatives of the National Assembly may object to the mixing of males and females there, so will they issue a decision that legislates a game for women and a game for men? Or a women's day and a men's day? Or will men and women separately take turns playing each game? Of course, without music, to take into account the new customs and traditions, which some of them are trying to detail and impose on society.

Frankly, this matter brings us to the marathon, during which all celebrations were canceled, and music was banned by order of one of the National Assembly representatives. As far as I know, the marathon was supposed to be completely canceled to avoid mixing, and here the government, which is also solicitous of sympathy, got even more confused than we did because it has many laws it wants to pass, and they need the votes of these representatives in the National Assembly to do so. The middle solution was "a marathon without sound." This leads us to another question: if music was really banned there, then it is against the law, and it is not possible to prevent it without a legal text, which is the principle. I am speaking here in the language of the civil state, which has under its umbrella different types of spectrums of society, sects, and thought, as Kuwait has never been of a single polar, and it will not be.

Kuwait's diversity is the source of its beauty and survival. If this prohibition is legal, then all musical events in the Jaber Cultural Center must be canceled, as well as music from Kuwait Radio and Television, so that we will have the only silent radio and television in the world and under the slogan "Media without music” and it can become an advantage and an achievement for us, and we will become a global landmark as a country without music. This also may lead us to cancel the national anthem, because it also contains music, and it becomes only an anthem. As the law is indivisible, what is prohibited music in the marathon must be prohibited everywhere, and vice versa. Following the orientations of some members of the National Assembly, which aim to impose unilateral ideology regardless of its nature or purposes, and the weakness of the government in front of them, will only lead to more solicitous sympathy for this country. 

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